The influence of preincisional infiltration of sldn, subcutaneous tissue and muscle with lignocaine adrenaline on pain and postoperative anal gesics requirements was studied in forty patients of ASA physical status I or II scheduled for fenestration discectomy. The patients were divided into two equal groups according to the timing of lignocaine adrenaline infiltra tion either preincisionaly or postincisionaly. The severihi of postoperative pain was evaluated using a linear analogue pain scale ranging from 0 to
10. It can be concluded that preincisional infiltration produced a prolonged and ^remarkable postoperative analgesia (mean of 17 4.5 hours) and 60 % of these patients did not receive any additional analgesia for 24 hours postoperatively. Preincisional lignocaine adrenaline was found to be sig nificantly superior to postincisional infiltration in relieving postoperative pain after fenestration discectomy and allows early mobilization of pa
tients.